Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg is getting a $1.2 million makeover with improvements over the next few months, including a renovated children’s play area, new food court seating and a reconfiguration of the center court area.

The center court, on the first floor, will be barricaded off for improvements by Thursday, according to Lakeforest Mall spokeswoman Susan Davis. The fountains and seating in that area will be removed, so the 5,245 square-foot space will be better suited for community events like the Lunar New Year celebration, holiday promotions and other events.

Heath Design Group, a Baltimore-based firm, will design and manage the renovation, according to a news release. The renovation is scheduled to be done by early November.

New seating in the Cafes in the Forest food court has been installed over the past month, to replace outdated furniture, Davis said.

The children’s play area that was in the center court was removed. A new play area called Adventure In The Forest was created near JCPenney. It opened July 30.

In addition, the Center Court elevator will be modernized.

“We’re very excited to start presenting these changes,” Davis said.

The 35-year-old mall, with 1.1 million square feet of space, is on Russell Avenue, straddled by Montgomery Village Avenue and Route 355.

It is owned by Five Mile Capital Partners LLC of Stamford, Conn. and managed by Urban Retail Properties, LLC, headquartered in Chicago, Ill.